My Faithful Witness

In the greetings sent to the congregations of Asia, Jesus is called the Faithful Witness because of his self-sacrificial death.

The vision of John begins with “greetings” to the Seven Churches of Asia from the One “Who is,” from the “Seven Spirits,” and from Jesus Christ, the “Faithful Witness.” The Son of God bore “witness” in his death, and his sacrifice is the pattern for the churches to emulate as they give “testimony” of the Word of God before a dark world.

That the term “Faithful Witness” refers to Christ’s death is demonstrated by the declaration that Jesus “loved us and loosed us from our sins by his blood.”

• (Revelation 1:4-5) - “Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is coming, and from the Seven Spirits which are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the Dead, and the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth. To him who loves us and loosed us from our sins with his blood.”

[Crucified One - Photo by Jürgen Scheeff (Sardinien) on Unsplash]

Jesus is also called “the Firstborn of the Dead” and “the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.” The former title refers to his resurrection and the latter to his present reign. All three designations are derived from the eighty-ninth psalm:

• (Psalm 89:27, 37) - “I also will make him my first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth <…> His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established forever as the moon and as a faithful witness in heaven.”

The identification of Jesus in the opening declaration of Revelation refers to his victory achieved through his Death and Resurrection, and this is confirmed by the self-identification of the “one like a Son of Man” in John’s first vision:

• “I am the Living One, and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades!”

Christ's possession of absolute sovereignty was achieved through his death on the Cross and his subsequent resurrection. Similarly, in his letter to the Laodiceans, he describes himself as the “Amen, the faithful and true witness” - (Revelation 1:18, 3:14).

The Greek term translated as “witness” is ‘martus’, which means just that - “witness.” The English noun ‘martyr’ is derived from this Greek word, which refers to someone who bears “witness” and otherwise gives “testimony” before others, usually in legal proceedings. John, for example, was exiled to the Isle of Patmos for the “Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus.”

Not coincidentally, in the letter to the church of Pergamos, the very same label is applied to the man named ‘Antipas’, whom the Risen Jesus calls, “my faithful witness.” He was slain for his testimony, presumably given before local magistrates in the service of the World Empire - (Revelation 2:13).

Likewise, when the Fifth Seal was opened, John saw the souls of those who had been slain “for the Word of God and for their Testimony” underneath the altar - (Revelation 2:13, 6:9).

Later, the “Two Witnesses” (‘martus’) were slain by the “Beast from the Abyss” after they completed “their Testimony.” The English noun “testimony” translates the related Greek term ‘marturia’. Similarly, after he was expelled from the courts of heaven, Satan departed to “wage war on those who have the Testimony of Jesus.”

After Satan was bound in the “Abyss,” John saw the souls of the men “who had been beheaded for the Testimony of Jesus and the Word of God <…> And they reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Like Jesus, Antipas, and John on the isle of Patmos, their participation in Christ’s reign was preceded by suffering and martyrdom for the sake of the Gospel - (Revelation 11:7, 12:17, 20:4).

FAITHFUL UNTIL DEATH

In his death, Jesus gave “faithful testimony.” Like him, the martyr Antipas is called “my Faithful Witness,” and Jesus summoned the church at Smyrna to become “faithful unto death” like Antipas, despite the “tribulation” they were about to endure. For that congregation, “faithfulness” meant martyrdom – (Revelation 2:10-13).

Finally, faithful saints “overcome” the Devil, “By the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and because they love not their lives unto death.” It is through bearing witness and enduring persecution for the sake of the Gospel that the Church vanquishes the Devil. Every martyrdom for the sake of the Gospel is another nail in Satan’s coffin, evidence of his impending downfall, for God will certainly “judge and avenge the blood” of His faithful witnesses – (Revelation 6:9-11, 12:11).

Consistently in the Book of Revelation, giving “testimony” is closely associated with martyrdom and faithfulness. This does not mean that every believer must suffer a martyr’s death, but it certainly stresses the need for every saint to be willing to do so when necessary “for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus.”

Just as Jesus gave “faithful testimony” before the High Priest of Israel, the Roman governor, and on Calvary, so his disciples are called to bear witness before a hostile world that all too often persecutes the Assembly of God, even when doing so means being sentenced to an unjust death by the Empire’s courts.

It is in this way that we “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” and become “his witnesses.”

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SEE ALSO:

• His Witnesses - (Men redeemed by Jesus become a “Kingdom of Priests” tasked with bearing witness to a hostile world)

• Preach the Gospel! - (The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom to all Nations without exception until Jesus returns – Matthew 24:14)

• The Final Sign - (The End will come only after the Gospel has been proclaimed in every nation and to every people - Matthew 24:14)

• Ses Témoins - (Les hommes rachetés par l'Agneau deviennent ses témoins sacerdotaux qui persévèrent dans le Témoignage de Jésus)